1. Field of Invention
This invention relates in general to systems and methods for on-site, automated dispensing of items to users based on user-specific information. The system and methods can also be applied to gaming devices and interactive amusement playfields in which a special feature is actuated and/or an item is dispensed based on user-specific information.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, the retail market continues to become more competitive. There are an increasing number of options for consumers in terms of where to shop and which items to purchase. At the same time, providing targeted samples to consumers is an effective method of marketing. Therefore, there exists a powerful need to direct consumers into appropriate store locations and/or to direct samples of products into the hands of a targeted consumer.
While promotional methods have existed for ages, e.g., sales coupons, targeted discounts, free items with purchase, no system or method has attempted an automated approach to targeted on-site sampling. To do so would require (1) pre-knowledge of the targeted consumer, also referred to as the “user” of the system, and (2) the actual dispensation of samples to said user based on that pre-knowledge. Such a system would differ from one that issues a coupon or other redeemable, such as a token, to a user based on user-specific information, in that said system would actually physically dispense the item to the user on-site, thereby removing the necessity of a redemption step.
Such a system would provide a novel method and system to provide automated, on-site sampling based on user-specific information. The system and method could incorporate RFID, bar code, or any other reader technology into an automated system that can be kept and maintained on a target site or maintained from a central site. Reader systems such as RFID tags, bar codes, and other conventional data reading methods are incorporated into a variety of devices ranging from monitoring systems to gaming devices. One example would be a grocery store chain issuing discounts to holders of a preferred customer card. The card may have information on it that is readable by a bar code reader. The system identifies the user by the information contained on the card and issues a discount, or tracks the consumers purchase history, and issues coupons based on said history. Another example is Bam et al.'s U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/691,459 (Publication No. US 2004/0128197), which discloses an electronic promotion system that sends coupons to targeted consumers, the coupons tailored to the specific consumer's profile. The consumer then may redeem said coupons at some future time.
Another example of the prior art is Meyer's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/245,149 (Publication No. US 2003/0061098 A1), which discloses a system that encourages consumers to patronize a particular business by awarding a prize or a discount to randomly selected consumers. But the system disclosed in Meyer's patent application does not physically dispense a sample. Another drawback of this system is that an item provided may not meet the needs or desires of the actual user because the item provided is not customized to that user's individual characteristics or preferences. Such a system is not necessarily based on user-specific information but rather simply rewards consumers that have a card.
Thus, there is a need for a system that both physically provides the item on-site from the dispenser unit itself and one that dispenses an item that is user-specific based on the particular user's characteristics.